With so many storage options available, choosing an optimal configuration may seem daunting. But as Eric Maillé and René-François Mennecier explain, vSphere provides the tools to ensure that the configuration is optimal.

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Storage is usually the most essential component of virtualized architecture, playing a major role in your system’s performance and extensibility. It must be able to support the activity of hosted VMs and be upgradeable to meet future needs. In some projects, the time devoted to designing storage architecture can represent up to 60% of all work. Therefore, the best solution must be chosen according to your business constraints, goals, and allocated budget, because costs can vary significantly among the different storage solutions available.

Storage Representation

Because vSphere 5 offers a wide variety of storage options, it is important to know what features are offered and to understand the interactions between traditional storage in the physical world and the integration of vSphere into such an environment (see Figure 3.1).